Chapter 242 Busy

Chapter 242: Chapter 242 Busy

Alessio leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk.

For a long moment, he remained motionless, staring at the documents scattered across the surface without actually seeing them.

He had never been afraid of admitting what he wanted. If he wanted something, he worked toward it. If an obstacle appeared, he found a way around it. He had built his life around that simple principle and it had served him well enough.

But this time, he had to do the opposite.

He had to step away from something he wanted precisely because he wanted it too much to risk losing it. He had to protect Daisy from a darkness she didn’t even know existed, even if that meant keeping her at a distance and denying himself the simple happiness of being around her.

Even if that meant protecting her from himself.

A bitter smile touched his lips.

"You’re an idiot, Ricci," he muttered under his breath.

For once, he couldn’t disagree with himself.

By the time Alessio returned to the mansion that evening, he had rehearsed his decision so many times that he almost believed he had made peace with it. Almost.

He entered through the main doors and handed his coat to a waiting staff member. From the living room came the familiar sounds of Rafael talking about something, Mateo complaining about something else and the occasional burst of laughter from them.

And Daisy was there.

Alessio recognized her presence before he even saw her.

It was ridiculous, really. He could identify her with just her little movements his attention seemed to find her automatically whenever she was nearby. He had grown so accustomed to noticing her that he sometimes wondered whether his mind had simply decided she was more important than everything else around him.

He stopped at the entrance to the living room.

Daisy was sitting on the sofa with her phone in her hands. The moment she noticed him, she looked up and her face brightened with a small, familiar smile.

Then she lifted her hand and waved.

Such a simple gesture, the kind she offered him almost every day without giving it a second thought.

And yet, for one brief moment, every carefully arranged argument in Alessio’s mind threatened to collapse. He wanted to walk over to her, ask how she was feeling and sit beside her while she showed him whatever had caught her attention on her phone.

He wanted to hear her little opinions, watch her expressive face and tease her until she gave him that particular look she reserved for him.

Instead, he forced himself to remain where he was.

"Good evening, Daisy," he said, keeping his voice calm.

She smiled and quickly typed a message before turning her phone toward him.

You’re back. How was work?

Alessio read it.

He could have told her about his day. He could have made a small joke, asked about her headache or complained about Rafael the way he usually did.

He could have given her one of those familiar responses that would have made her smile and encouraged her to continue the conversation.

Instead, he gave her a brief answer.

"Fine. Just busy."

Daisy waited for a moment, perhaps expecting him to say something else but when he remained silent, her smile faded slightly.

She glanced down at her phone, then back at him, as though trying to figure out whether he was simply tired or whether something had happened.

Alessio noticed the uncertainty on her face and the urge to explain himself almost became unbearable.

He could not do that, however. If he allowed himself to behave as he usually did, he knew he would eventually forget why he had made this decision in the first place.

So, before Daisy could type another message, he glanced toward Rafael, his expression neutral.

"Did you receive the documents I asked for?"

Rafael looked at him, then at Daisy, his brow furrowing slightly at the sudden change of subject.

"Yes. They’re in your office."

"Good. I’ll look at them now."

And just like that, Alessio turned away.

He didn’t look back, even though every instinct in him urged him to do precisely that. He climbed the stairs, entered his office and closed the door behind him.

Only then did he allow himself to exhale.

His chest felt strangely tight, as though the simple act of ignoring Daisy had taken more out of him than an entire day of work. He loosened his collar and walked toward the window, looking out into the dark garden where the lights illuminated the carefully trimmed hedges.

He had done the right thing.

That was what he needed to remember.

?┈┈┈┈?

Downstairs, Daisy continued looking toward the staircase where Alessio had disappeared. She had noticed something different about him. He hadn’t smiled at her the way he usually did and he hadn’t even bothered to ask what she had been doing all day.

Perhaps he was tired.

Perhaps work had been particularly difficult.

She considered sending him another message but after a moment, she decided against it. Alessio had his own responsibilities and she didn’t want to bother him when he was already having a difficult day.

After all, everyone had bad days.

With that thought, Daisy lowered her gaze to her phone and returned to what she had been doing, unaware that the man she was trying so hard not to disturb was sitting alone upstairs, fighting the urge to come back downstairs and sit beside her.

?┈┈┈┈?

Jessica had never been happier in her life.

Her dream was finally coming true.

That evening, her father had arranged a private dinner with Mrs. Evermont, Cedric’s mother, to discuss Jessica and Cedric’s engagement and upcoming marriage. Jessica had spent the entire afternoon anxiously waiting for the meeting to end, barely able to concentrate on anything else. Every few minutes, she checked her phone, hoping her father would call with the news she had been waiting so desperately to hear.

And then, finally her phone rang.